"I'd like mornings better if they started later."

-Anon.

Everyday before I go to school, there's a certain process that I undergo before I deem myself fit to walk the halls of my high school amongst my friends. Of course, appearance is a major priority. I'm not going to bullshit you and say I don't care what people think of me because I sure as hell do. Occasionally I'll pull the whole no make up, lazy thing and walk into school looking like crap, but for the most part, I try to keep up with my looks. Make up, an extensive decision making process over what outfit I'm going to wear (although 98% of the time I end up pulling something out, last minute and just deciding it looks all right), and at least 10 minutes devoted to making my hair look at least half way decent.


-What goes on my face-

I also take at least 5 minutes thinking up of reasons why that particular day will happen to be a good day. I call it my "Moment of optimism". Somebody once told me that if you wake up in the morning and decide that you're going to have a good day, then you'll end up being more positive and your day just may end up turning out all right after all. As opposed to waking up in the morning thinking such things as.."fuck today", as I have many a morning, cursing the schools for making it start so early. I don't know how much basis there was behind this so called "fact", but I thought it sounded logical enough, so I thought I'd give it a try. Also, as those who know me well will tell you, I'm a bit of a pessimist, so I thought a positive start to my day could only do me some good. It's really pretty disappointing when I can only think up reasons why that particular day holds no appeal to me.

It's a sad life


Before finally making my way upstairs, I take a moment or two assessing what of my homework I have and haven't done. And then I try and figure out which classes I'm going to do each in. Most of the time, I end up going to bed doing a good 90% less of what I should have done. Slacking is in my genetics, there's really nothing I can do to alter the way nature made me. Sorry teachers/Mom/Dad/every friend I've given a belated gift to/taken forever to burn a CD for. Tsk tsk.

Then I either eat breakfast if I have time to, or grab something to eat at school. There are times where I have neither something to eat at home or school, so I go hungry and pray for lunch to come quickly, which it never seems to do, leaving only me and an angry stomach.

It seems that the things that make your day terrible are what happens in that time between waking up and classes.

Mornings are never my favorite part of the day and I feel like life would become significantly better once waking up at 5:45 becomes a problem that I don't have to deal with.

Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships.

-Ansel Adams

I love photography. I love being able to take a picture, and in that photo capture just a small moment of a day. The best pictures, I believe, are those caught candid. I'm always the one snapping candid pictures at a party. You catch people off guard, and unaware. They're not posing. They've got no sculpted expression. Nothing to hide behind.












I'm walking down the streets of downtown Marion with my model for the day. We'd been planning this shoot for a long time. It was a great opportunity for the both of us, however it had been difficult to get a time set up. Our two main problems were that, either, our schedules conflicted, or it was the weather that was putting a dent in our plans.


Finally, one day, we were able to get together and shoot. Our previous failed sessions had made this one all the more sweet. We were both very excited and ready to have at it.

The beginning of a shoot is always just a little bit awkward. The model is unsure of what to do, and so are you. You really need to get the feel of what it is you're going for. You try different angles and poses, until finally you know exactly what it is you want, and you know exactly how it is you're going to get it.



That particular day I was going for a mellow, sort of city look. A faded look, with an underlying tough, grunge feel. That's exactly what I got, and it made me proud. I uploaded the pictures, and the response I got made me feel amazing. I still open that album up on my computer and take my time to look through each picture. They make me smile.







To know that each picture was taken by me. To know that people think pictures I take are good makes me feel awesome. There's nothing better than to feel proud of your work, and then also have other people tell you that you should be proud. Nothing can compare.



I love working with people much more than I like working with inanimate objects. Don't get me wrong, I love taking pictures of both, and I did a lot with nature before upgrading cameras, but now that I've had opportunities to work with people, I prefer it. A person can give you all sorts of emotions. You work with them, shape them, mold them into what you want. They also provide a challenge. It's much harder to get a good picture of a person than it is with a flower. Flowers are always there. Set your camera on macro settings and point it at a geranium, and under decent lighting conditions (which you'll probably find yourself with, considering most flowers are outside), you've got a good shot. A person, however, must be hitting the right pose. Must have the right expression on their faces. They then must hold that.







In the already overly cliche world of photography you have to have a certain flair to your pictures. I feel that the only way you can get that across is through personality, through people.

Don't get me wrong, as I said before, I still enjoy working with inanimate objects. My favorite kinds of still life pictures are the ones of something you wouldn't necessarily think of as an interesting thing to capture, but through manipulation of angle or position to get a good light or shine, it makes for a beautiful picture.





Now these pictures, I'm especially proud of. Not because they're particularly good, but because I shot it using a handheld, point and shoot, film camera that was about 10 years old, and then developed the film all on my own, and then enlarged the film all on my own.

I try to take my camera with me everywhere. If I could I'd carry it around school with me. Three problems,
1) It's too big and bulky.
2) I'd run the risk of having it stolen. Not a risk I'm willing to take.
3) I don't think too many people would be happy with me snapping pictures in the middle of class.
When I go to a friend's house, I bring my camera. When a friend comes over, I like to take a few pictures.
I'm always the one at the restaurant, with my camera out taking pictures of the food and the dishes and the cups and the forks and spoons, and just anything, really, attracting a lot of insults and stares from my friends. I don't really mind, though. I still do it.




Well, when it comes down to it. I own a Canon. That doesn't make me a photagrapher, just a Canon owner. I like to take pictures, but I'm strictly amateur. Maybe one day I'll have a website. Maybe we can get a little crazy and say that maybe one day I'll have a studio. Although, when I think about it, I don't want a studio. I don't want to be at all confined when it comes to where I go or what I take with my camera.

I'm a picture taker. Who happens to like picture taking quite a lot.

And finally Winter, with its bitin', whinin' wind, and all the land will be mantled with snow.

-Roy Bean


Nothing can beat a snow day. You get up, exhausted and exasperated, ready to drag yourself through another boring, repetitive day of school, life, and all that goes along with it. You mentally brace yourself for the physical pain you feel from sleeplessness, and, without fail, there it is. It hits you hard, leaving you crippled, and making your bed look ridiculously appealing. Even more so, knowing that it's forbidden. You shiver at the cold.

Wait. Cold...snow.

A memory suddenly breaks through the groggy daze you find yourself in. That memory is of you, listening to the news about a snow storm. Cautiously, you dare yourself to check the cancellations page on the KCRG website. You prepare yourself for the tragic let down you may find, yet, you can't help but hope. You scroll down, and there it is. Black and white. The letters that make up your school's name.


Classes Cancelled.

A rush of euphoria hits and even though you were down right exhausted moments before, you jump, throw your fist up in the air, and let out a "WOOT WOOOOOOOOT!"
You hop under your covers, shiver with delight, and let sleep take you.


You wake up to sunlight streaming through your window, the sound of your siblings playing the Wii in the room next door, and the smell of pancakes wafting in. A lazy smile spreads across your face. You stretch, taking all the time in the world. Because that's essentially what you've got. All the time in the world. You check the time, evaluating whether or not to get up. The hands of your clock are making their way to the 11 mark, so you decide that now would be a good time to start the glorious day you've got in store. You take your time getting out of bed, relishing in the delight you feel. The delight of having absolutely nothing to do that day. Of just being able to relax, watch the box set of the season of your favorite show that you bought. The delight of doing whatever you want, however long you want, without feeling the tug of all the obligations you've got for the next day at school.

So that's what you do. Be as lazy as you possibly can be, in the comfort and warmth of your home, safe and away from the icy fury that is outside.

Those are the essentials of a snow day.

"Sometimes customers forget that cashiers are people, too."

-The plight of retail workers everywhere



A woman comes down my aisle at Target. She's normal looking. Short brown hair in a soccer mom haircut, jeans, and a sweatshirt. No one would notice anything out of the ordinary while looking at her. So, of course, I greet her like I would any guest.
"Hi! How are you doing today?"
Instead of responding with a polite, "Fine, thanks. And how are you?" She ignores me. She hears me, I know that, because her eyes flicker over in my direction, and yet she doesn't even feel that it's necessary to acknowledge my existence. So I proceed to check out her food, like I would any other guest (I forgot to mention earlier, Target has no customers. We call them all guests), even though I'd prefer throw her groceries at her stupidass face.
When I'm done, I decide to give her the benefit of the doubt and try offering her a chance to redeem herself. I say to her as warmly as I can while handing her her receipt, "You have a great day, ma'am!"
This time, however, she doesn't even bother with a glance. She takes her receipt without even looking at me, and leaves. No "Thanks! You too!" no, goodbye, no NOTHING. Because, I'm just a cashier, and therefore, not worth it.


Now, you may be thinking to yourself, Maybe she was deaf. Nope. Throughout her transaction I asked her a various number of questions such as, would you like your milk in a sack. She responded appropriately to each, ruling out the whole deaf/mentally retarded suggestion. Besides, as I said before, she was completely normal looking.


And this is really no surprise to me. I've had customers who give me death glares for no reason other than to glare. I've had customers yell at me. I've had customers insult me. I've had customers make fun of me. I've even had a customer who asked me on a date. I tell you, eight dollars an hour is not enough to deal with the shit they throw at us.

Another example of a really tragic tale of a customer and an employee (or, in Target jargon, a guest and a team member), the girl who worked in front of me did what she usually does and asked the guest how they were doing that day. They replied as one normally would, and then asked, "How are you? I betcha you're tired, huh?"
To which she replied, "Ohhh yeah. I'm exhausted. I've been at work all day, and I don't usually cashier, normally I'm out on the floor. I hate cashiering."

So what does this person do?

They go out of their way to report her to the manager. For "complaining". This customer, whoever they were, deserves a good ol' kick in the face.

This manager was forced to report it as it was considered a "guest complaint". My heart goes out to this girl, it truly does.

So if you're ever on the other side of the check out aisle, please, extend a little sympathy. Chances are, we're under paid, overworked, and just tired. Customers who start conversations with me, truly make things just a little better. It gives us a break from the monotony and that annoying, headache inducing, beep of items being scanned. Even a simple, genuine thank you makes things a tad better.

"You know my name (look up the number)."

Oh, how I love those words. Not because of the meaning behind them (well, the literal meaning at least), but because of the strings, the beats, the music that go behind those words. For 5 minutes and 43 seconds I regularly listen to those words accompanied by a variety of instruments.

Genius -that's precisely what it is. Pure unadulterated genius. How can somebody take eight little words, and accompany them so they turn into something gorgeous? I'll tell you how. They've got the skills. The insane, mad skills. You've got to be a little out of your mind or *cough*high*cough* (but, hey, in the sixties, that's what they did) to be able to create value in the form of sound waves. Using nothing more than eight little words ) Incredible. I've had years to recover from the beauty and the mind blowing factor of this song, and yet, still today I find myself moved. Teary eyed, even.

Now, you may think that I'm exaggerating. No, I'm not. Not. One. Bit.

Now, however, you may find yourself thinking that I'm stubborn. Well, in that case, you may actually be right. Hmm...

However, besides the lovely emotions that that song brings out in me, there are also the darker ones. Back in the day, seventh and eighth grade, to be precise. I had fallen in love with a group of musicians. Two had been dead, and two still alive. Great musicians that my uncle had introduced to me the summer after my 6th grade year. He was obsessed with their music and some of that obsession, luckily, had rubbed off on me.

So, of course, I was eager to share it; however, everybody else, it seemed, was so very eager to laugh at me. "That's old people music!" Most would shout at me. "You weirdo!"

The Beatles! The most popular, mega awesome band that anybody ever did see! I was being laughed at for liking the Beatles! Now, ironically enough, they've made a comeback. And they're a fad. And everybody all of a sudden absolutely loves the Beatles.

What a bunch of bandwagon hopper on-ers.

"Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind."

-Mary Ellen Chase

We're in the middle of the hectic holiday season, trying desperately to figure out what to get our dearest, most presh beloved(s). We've got jingle bell songs on the radio, red and green in store windows (or as the French would say, les coulours verts et rouges sont dans les vitrines), candy canes on our sweaters, and Christmas on our minds.

Leading up to all of this were certain signs, things that nobody would take into consideration, but may

help somebody discern when they should break out the egg nog and the santa hats.

Ten Signs That Let You Know The Holidays Have Arrived

1) When you're pouring salt on your tomatoes, the sound of the salt inside the shaker reminds you of bells.

2) You can't pick up a red/green shirt without deciding that its color alone makes it look too Christmas-y.

3) You tell yourself you need to save money in order to be able to afford all the gifts you'd like.

4) You decide against buying something at that particular moment because you tell yourself that you can buy it later with the Christmas money you'll get.

5) You make a list of affordable gifts to get your friends. (The best gifts are those that are cheap, yet make it seem like you've actually spent well over what you'd actually ever spend.)

6) You make a list of friends for whom to get gifts for. (Subconciously you pray that the list will be long, but once you end at 3 or 4, you tell yourself that you're lucky and you get to save your money, but secretly you wish you had more close friends. Sucks.)

7) You yell at yourself for humming Christmas songs, telling yourself that pretty soon, they'll be all you'll hear.

8) You start making a wish list.

9) Black Friday has come and gone.

10) You flip your calendar to the next month. That next month just so happens to be December. (Although if it really does take you off guard that December follows November, then, well, I don't know what to tell you.)

Words you find can accurately describe/are synonymous with Christmas:

1) Shopping.

2) Presents

3) Santa

4) Sleigh Bells

5) Winter Wonderland

6) Frosty

7) Hannakuh

I could keep going, but I'll leave it at

that (slash I just couldn't really think of any more good ones).

Hmmm....this blog is getting to be pretty list-y. I think I might just continue on with that theme and create another list.

Our favorite classic holiday songs:

1) Santa Baby

2) It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

3) All I Want For Christmas Is You

4) Feliz N

evidad

5) I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

6) It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

7) Oh, Christmas Tree

8) Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

9) Silver Bells

10) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

I think I have over-Christmased myself. I mean, Christ, I don't even celebrate it.

But to those of you who do,

Feliz Nevidad

Joyeux Noël

Nollaig Shona (Irish? I thought they spoke English....)

Sretan Božić (Croatian)

聖誕快樂

Selamat Hari Natal (Indonesian)

Срећан Божић (Serbian)

Mutlu Noeller (Turkish)

Frohe Weihnachten (German)

З Калядамі (Belarusian. Never heard of that one...)

Hyvää joulua (Finnish)

Anyways, I think you get it.

While you are destroying your mind watching the worthless, brain-rotting drivel on TV, we on the Internet are exchanging.....

"While you are destroying your mind watching the worthless, brain-rotting drivel on TV, we on the Internet are exchanging, freely and openly, the most uninhibited, intimate and, yes, shocking details about our config.sys settings."
-Dave Barry



There are certain rules about the Internet that everyone abides to. Unwritten rules. Rules that can make you or, ultimately break you, because, let's face it. You're not going to be considered cool if you constantly talk about what happened on Myspace or Twitter or Facebook. No, just...don't.

I'm going to take a minute here to talk about the various kinds of guidelines one must follow while using certain social networking sites.

A) Myspace
1) Don't ask somebody about their bulletin post in person. Reply via message.
2) About me's. Give your opinion in a comment, don't approach the person in school or wherever else you two might meet and go, "I really like the way you compare yourself to a butterfly escaping from its cocoon in your About Me." That's just awkward as hell. Please don't make things awkard as hell.
3) Don't ask somebody if they photoshopped their profile picture. Rude.

B) Facebook
1) What is said on facebook chat stays on facebook chat. I myself have been a violater of this rule, and I don't reccomend it.
2) It's just really confusing when you try to explain what picture somebody should use as their profile picture. "You know the one, from my one album, that I posted like...1-7 weeks after that one party, at....God, who was it? OH YEAH! That one guy we met at that one grocery store's house. The one where you're wearing that one shirt, that has those letters on it. The color...it's like, in my 3rd favorite warm colors list. But anyways..and you're with that one guy. Yeah...that one. You look really good in that."
3) Don't talk about your facebook creeping habits to people.

C) Blogs
1) When talking about a blog make sure not to bee too specific, keep it general.
Appropriate: I like your blog, it's hilarious!
Not appropriate: Your blog about the new health care bill really made me laugh, especially when you compared Barack Obama to Barack Osama. That just cracked me up.

C) Other General Internet Rules
1) DO NOT use chat speak when talking. Don't say LAWL, don't say ell-oh-ell. Don't say oh-em-gee. Don't say BRB. Really.


Just follow these simple instructions and you're sure to extend your life by a couple of days. YOUR SOCIAL LIFE THAT IS.

Just remember fellow friends, bloggers, and blog readers. Rules are meant to be broken.

"To live fast and die young"

-MGMT

Is it better to live, if just for a little while, or to stay alive?

Now, let me clarify. What I'm trying to say is, is it better to fully live? To have fun and awaken your senses in new and bizarre ways. Is it better to experience the world in a completely different perspective or is it preferable to just abide by rules and laws and guidelines and completely lack the excitement and enjoyment?

I was on Facebook, looking through pictures of an old acquaintance of mine who ended up moving out of state. We had the same musical interests and we were into the same sorts of stuff, so we talked occasionally. Her mother had married a friend of my parents. She was a really nice girl and I enjoyed talking to her, but as I said, we were only acquaintances so we didn't know too much about each other.

I looked at some of her Facebook pictures and saw some things that didn't look like anything my friends and I would ever do. Or things that would even be at all legal.

Some of her status updates read, "I'd rather live fast and short than live forever."

It kinda made me wonder whether or not she was completely right on that matter. Should we just totally live by the laws, not let ourselves venture out of that sphere of control society, our parents, the government try to enclose us in? Or should we step across that invisible line that they've laid down for us?

Some of what they tell us is to benefit our own health and well being. It's to keep us from making serious mistakes in a moment where we might not be thinking so clearly.

However, those who experiment and go beyond that safety zone sometimes say that it's the most interesting and fun experience you could ever have.

Are those few out of world experiences really worth all the baggage that they come with?

Some may tell you absolutely, while others, facing the downside of their decisions, would disagree and say that nothing could ever be worth the pain and hardship that comes later.

Should we just follow our impulses. Should I follow my dreams of moving to Paris and living a bohemian lifestyle, living off only salt and crackers? Find people who share similar interests and a similar style to mine, and write novels together? My fantasy carries out in my having met so many interesting and insightful people who somehow find me insightful and interesting and through them and the many life changing experiences I have, publish a book that is so popular, but only among those who are as interesting and insightful as me and the people in my life. Then I will later go down in history as being one of the most charming and intelligent and interesting authoress with the most insightful things to say.

Possible?

Yes.

Probable?

No.

That is why we will keep our toes under control as to not accidentally cross the line.

"We'll choke on our vomit, and that will be the end."

"Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money."

-Author Unknown


Customers:


At Target, however, we like to call them "guests". It's all a marketing ploy, really. We call them guests so they feel more welcome, relaxed, and comfortable. AND THEN...we get you to buy a lot of useless, stupid Target junk.

Before I started working, the only insight into what consumers spend their money on I had was to what my family bought, so when they brought about the whole idea of an "economical recession" I didn't think that it was because people were stupid, just the government's fault.

Well, after working at Target I realize that people seriously have no idea how to employ the concept of "saving money" into their lives. I mean, really, ma'am do you need to buy your dog a $30 dollar hot dog costume even when I had to tell you that your credit card's not been approved?

Let me share a story with you. I bet you've heard of the dollar section at Target. As long as you haven't been living under a rock for the better part of your life, you've deffffff. heard of it. Well, sometimes you really can find some pretty good deals, there. However, most of the time a majority of the stuff you'll find is cheap, easily breakable, very small in quantity, lacking quality and not worth a quarter, much less a dollar. Well, people, thinking that they're geniuses for buying 25 packets of stationery paper, instead of just buying the regular pack you'd find in the office supplies section for like, 8 bucks, waste a TON of money. They trick you into thinknig you're actually saving money, when in reality, they've got you wrapped around their twisted little corporate finger.


ANYWAYS...I was working a grueling 8 hour shift, the other day (yesterday), when a lady came through my lane. I do what I always do, and I greeted her with a smile and a "How are you doing today?" and "Did you find everything you needed okay?"

She laughed and told me that she'd found everything she needed and a lot more she didn't. I politely chuckled and told her that it was hard to come to Target and buy only what you need, pretending to sympathize. She agreed, and I asked a little bit about their plans for Halloween. We then ceased conversation so I could focus on my mindless task of checking out items.
Her grocery list included:
-Expensive frozen dinners that would have just been cheaper had she just bought the ingredients needed to make "Stouffer's Gravy Dinner"/"Kashi Cultural Rice Entree"
-Apples
-Toilet Paper
-Costumes
-Coloring Books
-Candy
-Markers
-Toys
-Lots of crap from the dollar section
-Lots of other crappy crap
Her bill came up to about 125 bucks. She first tried using a credit card. This is what flashed on my screen and her card reader:
"Card not approved. Use another payment."

We went through this process a couple more times with a couple more cards. Until finally, she split up the payment amongst:
-Some cash
-Her debit Card
-2 credit cards

Wow, I thought. Really? Why are you SO STUPID? You are obviously in no situation to buy all this extra junk that (I'm pretty sure) you don't need.

I don't know what kind of crazy spending I'm going to witness when Christmas comes around...when people instist on buying their friends the latest, newest, and (most of the time), most expensive stuff they can possibly get their hands on. Just the thought of the amount of customers who are going to get pissed AT ME because I'm the one who breaks the news to them that they don't have enough money for the Wii console they want to get their nephew, makes me want to barf up some of the Halloween candy I had today.

Whatever, none of my business, I guess. I'm just saying, I feel like if people weren't so dumb about how they manage their money, the world would be a whole lot better of a place.

"Commit to be fit"

-Unknown

I was at work today as one after another customers would come through my lane and describe the beautiful weather out to me. Then they'd add; "Oh, I hope you'll get off to catch it!"

Normally, I hate when people do that because a majority of the time, I don't get to catch the nice weather. Most of the time, I barely catch the last glimpses of the sun once I leave. Pretty, but it leaves me wanting more.

Finally, today, I was scheduled to get off at 2 PM.

Exciting?

Very.

So I decided that once I got home, I'd pull on the old sweats and go out for a nice jog, something I used to do all the time, but haven't done in about a millenium or so. Give or take.

So I'm on my usual course, down by street, turn up the next, and I keep going 'till I hit the park. That's half a mile. Then I usually go one full lap or two half laps around the park which equals one mile. Then my run back home would be another half mile. So altogether, I usually get about 2 miles. Occasionally, I'd push it to 2.5-3 miles. Rarely (meaning only once), I do 4.5 miles.

I used to love running. I'd have my iPod on a playlist of fun, peppy songs that were psychologically energizing. The sky would be perfect and sometimes, I'd run with my head up and just watch the clouds.

Which was a very stupid thing to do. I'm very klutzy, so more often than not, with my head up at the sky, looking like an asshole, I'd trip over something or run into something or, in the most embarrassing cases, somebody.

As I was saying. I would have such a good time going on a jog. I'd get my good breath of fresh air and the park where I ran was so pretty. It especially was today, with the leaves all sorts of autumnal (<---is that even a word? I'm too lazy to find out, so we'll just honor it as one for now) colors.

As I was saying. I was on my usual routine. So, by the time I'd gone to make my second lap around the park, I felt something terrible. Pain.

My body was obviously not releasing enough endorphins because I was not feeling very good at all. I was sweating profusely, my stomach was turning, and my legs burned.

Then it hit me.

I had an epiphany.

I was

Out.

Of.

Shape.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

It was true. I'm 17 years old and already my body has turned on me. Oh, woe is a friend of mine.

"I put a spell on you."

-Hocus Pocus

Oh, Halloween. The night of candy and creeps. Of fun and treats. Of ghosts and ghouls, of fiends and fools.
Of laughing and walking, of jubilance and talking. It's a very fun night, although sometimes it can be a bit of a fright!!

I feel like I should stop rhyming now...

Of course Halloween's no fun unless you're all dressed up and in the mood. I was a magician! AVADA KEDAVRA! Just kidding, not THAT kind. Just the kind that has a black stick with a white stripe I liked to say was my wand, a top hat, and a cape. I would take my hat off, spin the stick in circles and say: ABRA KADABRA! Then, after the remnants of the sparkly purple smoke dissipated, a cute white bunny would just hop out of my hat.

How did I do this, you may ask? The answer is simple....magic.
Now, there are some of you out there who may think I'm making this up.
You're right.

So I was a magician, my friend was my assistant, and another friend of ours, well he was my white rabbit. We decided that before we'd get the real party going, we'd make some rounds across a few neighborhoods and pick up some candy.

Now this brings about another age old topic: Should teenagers be allowed to trick or treat?
It's a question that has brought about countless numbers of debates. People have cried, fought, and probably even DIED trying to provide answers for this question.

However, I've found a solution to both sides.
"As long as he donneth a costume, tarts and treats shall be put in his pillowcase."
That's what my grandmother used to tell me.

Actually, they don't even have Halloween in Algeria (which is where this blogger's from), so I doubt that she would have had anything to say on the matter.

Well, I hope you had as good of a Halloween as I did.
Alors, a bientot mes amies!

“People who have lost relationships often wonder why they can't just let it be 'water under the bridge'...

...it is under the bridge-the trouble is we do not live on the bridge, but in the river."
-Grant Fairley

Relationships in high school make just about as much sense as the homework my chemistry teacher usually assigns.

Most sane, functional folks would agree that chemistry is about as senseless as it gets, therefore that would complete the analogy that relationships in high school are usually pointless and end up leading nowhere but heart ache and all the pain that goes along with it.

That's the general rule. There are a few exceptions, like, for instance the people who date all through out high school and then end up getting married. However, that's just a small percentage. What people need to understand is that high school's the one time in our life where we get to act as crazy as we feel like.

I just feel like serious relationships should be reserved for our adult years. We should just take high school easy, and not get involved in anything that could seriously hurt us.

A friend of mine usually always has a significant other in her life. Whether it's a small fling, or a serious relationship, she's got that special some one. However, this summer was a lonely one for her. She had nobody that she felt even the least bit attracted to. You know what she told me? That it was the best, most 'chill' summer that she's had in a very long time. Problems were almost nonexistent to her.

Hmmm, let take a quick look at the correlations in this situation.

Boyfriend=drama.

No boyfriend= (almost) no drama

After a lengthy analytical review of this tid bit of information I've come to the conclusion that boyfriends are the causes of drama*.

Isn't everyone looking to reduce the anxiety they feel. Well, is the month or two of bliss you feel with that special some one really worth the feelings that come with the failure of your relationship? Because, honestly, your relationship will probably most likely not succeed. It's tragic, I know, but that's just the way life is.

I propose a solution to this dilemma. Do you really have to be committed to the one you cuddle with? Why is it so unacceptable in society to have a bit of fun with no strings attached? Not that I would get involved in something like that, but I'm just saying. It's stupid really, it goes back to that whole issue of conforming.

But that's another topic for another post. This one will have to end here. Besides, my sixth hour class is about to start.

*Drama is a slang term commonly used by most high school students to refer to the stress and troubles they feel in their lives.

"If you are not in fashion, you are nobody."

-Lord Chesterfield
(Ouch.)

Guys often wonder, as do girls, what exactly the opposite sex finds attractive. I know I do all the time.

Besides the obvious (good looks, sense of humor, sensitive, and a nice personaity), I'd say that a quality I look for in the guy whom I've given my heart to is that he's a good dresser.

For example, I think one could accurately assume that this fellow sure knows how to dress himself in the morning.

I mean, seriously. Check out that cardigan.

For those few men who are oblivious, the surest way to winning over the apple of your eye is what you put on your body. Most girls would agree in saying that sweater vests are about as sexy as it gets.

So, the overall idea of this particular post is: BOYS. Go out, and buy an ensemble that's sure to make 'em swoon. Take a girl with you. They'll know exactly what you're in need of. They'll know how you can dress yourself in the most flattering.

I know what I'm talking about. And you should, too.

"People are more inclined to use the word "like" in absurd demonstrations of stupidity."

-Andrew Jensen, Associated Content


*THE FOLLOWING ENTRY IS RATED R FOR, LIKE, DISTURBING CONTENT AND INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE. SOME MATERIAL MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN UNDER, LIKE, I DON'T KNOW...17.*

Have you ever really listened to a girl's conversation without mentally trashing all the unnecessary filler words?
I never really had set out to do so, and one day, the word "like" caught my attention in a conversation I overheard between two girls near me.

Girl #1: Omg, like, did you frickin see (insert male name)'s new girlfriend. Like, seriously, what was he even thinking (no question mark at the end of this sentence because really it's just meant to be a statement to this girl). It just really, like, surprised me, you know? I was just like, how in the world did they end up together.

#2: OMG! I LIKE TOTALLY KNOW! What the heck? It's, so, like, you know, like...RANDOM! They, like, never even talked. Plus she's like fugly as hell. She was like ALLLLL over him at the football game. It was like nasty. I had to turn my eyes. They're so like....ewwww together.

#2: Like seriously, man. What has the world, like even come to? I don't even know. It's all just like, so messed up.

This conversation actually happened. Maybe a little less exaggerated, but it did. And I didn't exaggerate the use of the word "like".
But don't get the idea that, because I'm criticizing these girls' word choice, I am not guilty of making the same mistakes. You'd find that I, like, use the word "like", like a whole lot.
And "man", even if I'm talking to a girl (which my parents advised me against, telling me it'd make me sound too hippyish, which made me want to use the word even more. Hippies are awesome).
And "fuckin" (excuse the bad language).
And "seriously" (even if I'm not being serious)
and "Oh"
and "My"
and "God"
and "you know what I mean?"
and "I don't even know" (although sometimes I do exclude the 'even')
as well as a variety of other useless words that don't add significance to whatever I'm trying to say.

Seriously, like, sometimes I just make myself sound like so fuckin stupid. I don't even know, man. I like, want to sound, smart. You know what I mean? I want people to think I'm, like, intelligent. I don't want them to be all like: "Oh my Goddddd, this chick's so fuckin stupid." I just really don't want that, like seriously, you know?

That, unfortunatley, is something that one may hear coming from my mouth. It's tragic, I know, but alas, very true.
I wish my speaking was more refined and made me sound a little less similar just another catty high school girl. From this moment forth I will do my very best to eliminate useless fillers from a conversation. The "L" word will be totally eliminated from my vocabulary. I will now, when comparing something, use the following: 'such as', 'similar to', etc. etc.
When I want to talk about the emotion I feel towards somebody I will use the words "fond of".

And so it begins...

This guy sure agrees with me.

"No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap."

-Carrie Snow

I sit here at my computer at 9:57 PM. I've got an AP Psychology test that I have to study for and another blog to complete. I've got Pre Calc homework that needs to be done, and sleep that needs to be caught up on.

I have not slept more than 8 hours this whole week, basically. Well, let me revise that. I actually went to bed at 9 last Thursday. This whole weekend however, has been nothing more than a great disappointment.
Friday was a birthday party I was unable to attend because I had to work.
Saturday I enjoyed a nice evening with some good friends at Tomaso's pizzeria, where we were almost kicked out for being too raucous.
And Sunday I helped a good friend get over a lost relationship.
And all three days I worked.

Saturday and Sunday I had to wake up at 7. Both nights before I went to bed extremely late. I can't begin to tell you what lost sleep feels like.

Imagine finding the answers to life's most deepest question, but leaving the slip of paper you wrote them on in your back jean pocket. Your mom then proceeds to put your jeans into the washing machine, wihtout thorougly checking the pockets. Needless to say, the paper and the content that was on it are destroyed.

That's how my sleep deprived body feels. Destroyed.

Well, have a good night, and sleep tight.

"Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned."

-Unknown

If you're a person and you somewhat keep up with modern pop culture in the least bit, you probably, most likely, are aware with the name Brad Pitt.

You're also probably aware (again, this is saying that you don't live under a rock), that he's a phenomenal actor. I've always thought this, but I my point was reiterated this weekend after having seen Se7en.

He was glorious in Inglorious Basterds, he was so badass in Fight Club, he made me swoon and weep like a little girl in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (I purposely made sure I mentioned that certain movie title to up my word count;), he manages to fit his roles so completely that you'd think he might be just a little crazy.

Now, the movie Se7en, was a very, very, very disturbing film. And it made me think a lot about God.

In case you haven't seen the movie, it's about a very devoted Catholic who believes that he has a greater purpose than the rest of the lowly human beings that surround him. He believes that he has to preach to the world.

He does this through the popular 7 Deadly Sins. He first finds an appropriate example of a person who fits each category. In case you don't know, these sins consist of:

Sloth

Gluttony

Greed

Envy

Lust

Wrath

Pride

He first kills the gluttunous man. How does he do this? He forces him to eat to his death. Literally.

He makes him eat and eat, with a gun pointed to his temple the whole time. Finally the poor, overweight man passes out. Then this guy, who thinks he's doing the world some good, gives him a good, firm kick to the stomach. At which point, the victim's stomach explodes.

Ouch.

Well, he basically tortures 5 people to their death in accordance to their sin. The ending's twisted. You've got to see it if you haven't already. And when you do, we should talk.

Anyways, it made me wonder. Isn't what this maniac did exactly what the holy books of our religion (well, if you're a Christian, a Muslim, or a Jew) say that God's going to do to us when we die? Only these victims were able to die. In hell we are just tortured and reborn so we can be torutured again.

Religion says that the nonbelievers will suffer in hell fire for eternity. For not believing, for claiming that God is nonexistent. Which is definitely not what I'm saying. I'm a firm believer in God. It just got me thinking.

It just seems like an extremely harsh consequence for a matter of belief.

“Salsa has now passed ketchup as America's favorite condiment."

-Jay Leno

Sunday night was a special night for me. It was the night that my closest friends were going to come over to celebrate a trademark event.

My seventeeth birthday. It was to be a night of glorious fun. Of singing, and laughing, and dancing and having an all around good time.

For any occasion there are to be preparations made. One must provide the necessities all party goers look for at a fest. Primarily-food. So my mother and I piled into our family van and made our way to Hy-Vee, a popular grocery store, to look at some possibilities for the cake we wanted.

As I am still just an apprentice, and not yet able to be on my own, my mother actually, for once, let me drive. That helped make the experience all the more enjoyable.

So there we were, in the Hy-Vee parking lot, about to make our way in to preview a variety of all sorts of tasty tarts. We went inside to the brightly lit store, and were just hit by the rhythmic and soothing sounds of all sorts of foods and other items being checked out. To the chatter of customers and employees, and to the rolling of shopping carts. To the sizzle of food in the Chinese section of the store, to the awkward, yet strangely tranquil background music.

Going in there, I personally knew seven people. Lots of students work there. I've heard it makes for a good after school job, with flexible hours and understanding bosses and lots of people to ask in case you need somebody to cover a shift.

Well, my mother and I made our way to the bakery section. All of a sudden, I stopped. Right in front of me in a little half spherical case, was a plate of tortilla chips with a side of salsa. Taped so intricately on the plastic lid was a sign that read, "Sample".

Now, I have to tell you. I love tortilla chips, especially with salsa. I couldn't pass up such a treat. One thing, though, did confuse me. I would assume that the majority of the population share my sentiments on the deliciousness of chips and salsa. That did not support the fact that the plate of chips and the bowl of salsa was nearly full, a rarity for free samples so late in the day. But of course, my stomach won the battle and I took a chip between my fingers and scooped up a healthy amount of salsa.

Oh, the explosion. The salty, grainy taste of the chips mixed with the almost sweet taste of the salsa. It was an orgasm of the nutritional kind right in my mouth.

The feeling of ecstacy was immediately over shadowed by something else in the back of my throat. I realized then that there was a trail of fire leading from my stomach to the remnants of the salsa on my lips. And oh, how it burned. My nerves screamed for water, but there was none to be found.

My face and my eyes turned red and tears streamed down my face. I could not move because the pain was crippling. My mother's eyes widened as she turned and took in my gruesome appearance.

"Asmaa! What's wrong?"

I was parched. I could barely respond.

"The salsa..." was all I could manage to reply with. My voice came out raspy and dry.

My mother's face relaxed and she looked at me with an "I told you so" expression, I could only see no traces of sympathy, just amusement, at my situation.

"Water..." I tried shouting. But, alas, there was none. None to be had for the poor girl who put the wrong kind of salsa in her mouth.

My mother took me along and went back to the table on which the salsa was resting, she wanted to look at the salsa's description. It read:

Hy-Vee's Super Spicy Signature Salsa

Sample at your own risk!

"See, Asmaa, you never just eat something without at least looking to see what it is, first," she told me, exasperated. By this point, the ravaging effects of the salsa were subsiding and I was beginning to get the use of my mouth back.

"This experience has taught me a valuable lesson, Mom," I told her. "I will never eat salsa that spicy again."

To this day I have kept that promise to myself and never again will that salsa ever touch my lips.

"Men grow cold as girls grow old, and we all lose our charm in the end, but pear cut or square shaped these rocks don't lose their shape."

-Marilyn Monroe

You ever heard the phrase "Diamond's Are A Girl's Best Friend?"

I certainly have, and if you haven't than you've probably been living under a rock for the last 60 years. It's an idea that sounds very practical to me, and something that I very much agree with.

So far, I've only succeeded in making myself sound like a shallow gold digger, but truthfully, I'm not.

At least, I don't consider myself one.

Where does love get us? Have you ever heard of happy poor people?

They're hard to come by.

Money is a necessity, something we can't live without. Even if you're not the one making your own money the government's providing you with the money you need to exist.

I've never heard of a grocery store that takes love as a currency. I know we, at Target (which is my place of employment. Yay $8 an hour!), certainly don't.

I've never heard of a bank that checks your love score to qualify you for a loan.

I've never heard of a car dealership who'll sell you a car with no love down payment.

I've never heard of an infomercial that asked for only 3 easy payments of love.

Basically, the point I'm trying to make,

Love will not find a way

There are mountains too high for love to conquer

Nobody will always love you

Love can cross us one time, but it most likely won't last for a lifetime.

Don't get me wrong, here, I'm a firm believer in love. I believe in all sorts. Familial love, friendly love, romantic, spiritual, tasteless, young love. Yes, yes. I very much do.

The thing is that I've spoken with too many silly young girls, read too many Facebook statuses, seen too many movies, and read too many books that all try to make us believe that there is something that can overcome anything.

(I bet you can guess what that something they're referring to is).

But it can't. We're all human, with animal instincts at heart. Our emotions fade and time cripples us. We've all come to rely too much on the materialistic things in life.

“Loneliness is about the scariest thing there is.”

-Unknown

Take it from somebody who knows all too much about it.
The best way to spend a Friday night is not alone.
Due to a recent curfew change, this blogger's gotta be home by 9:30.

No, you didn't read that wrong. 9:30 is the right time. I actually have to be home at that time.
Stupid? Yes. Very.

Even though that's the reason I won't be going to a late movie showing with a group of good girl friends, that's not the what this particular entry's about.

I've decided to make a list of productive things to do on a Friday night spent alone.

1) Procrastinators! Start your homework. Seriously. Jam packing your weekend with pointless shit is...well...pointless. You know that sick feeling you get in your stomach when it's eight o'clock Sunday night and the mountain of homework on your bed is no shorter than it was Friday night? Well, by eliminating at least a portion of your work load also eliminates those butterflies that predict sleepless nights. I don't know about you, but I certainly can't be very analytical at two in the morning. Especially when it comes to AP Lang essays.

2) Clean your room. Do it. It's easier to actually do it than it seems when you're standing in front of your floor that's not actually visible beneath the foot high pile of clothing that's hiding it. Pop in a good CD (personally I'd suggest the White Stripes or Noah and the Whale, they make for good room cleaning music). So the music's playing and bit by bit you're getting your room to be a little more neat, a little cleaner, and finally you've found where that weird smell's been coming from. It's that PB&J sandwich that slipped between your fingers 3 months ago when you were doing your homework and ended up under your bed. You told yourself then that you'd pick it up after the sentence you were currently writing, but you forgot, and that bread, peanut butter, and jelly provided four and a half star room and board for the mold that took hold of your sandwich.

3) Watch a good movie. Read a good book. Rent one. Or opt for the alternative and watch it online. I don't actually know if that's legal or not, so I'm not endorsing it. You can do it if you want, but just know that I strongly advise you against it. You know you never have time to watch a movie over the week.

4) Call in work and see if they've got a couple of hours open. At least make some money. You'll be happier when your paycheck arrives.

5) Write an autobiography. Who knows? Maybe you have an intriguing life that'll get people laughing, weeping, and on the edge of their seats at the various events that deeply affected you. You might end up becoming the next Augusten Bourroughs, whose hit book Running With Scissors ended up a movie featuring lead actors such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Evan Rachel Wood, greatly succeeding in box office numbers.

6) Save a cat. Did you know that 34.7% of the time there are cats in trees that cannot get down. Drive around town and offer your services to poor kids, parents, and nice old ladies who can't, for the life of them, get their poor kitty to climb down from where they're perched.

7) Make lists. Possible topics
-The best parts in the Harry Potter a)Movies b)Books
-List of probable outfit choices for the upcoming week
-Different hairdos
-Birthday/Christmas/Halloween/Easter/Halloween gifts
-Books you still need to read
-Things you want to do before you die

I sincerely hope that this will somehow help relieve you of your lonely boredom come your next planless Friday night.